A Walk In The Snow
by S J Smith
Summary: The Elric brothers experience deep snow for the first time.


**Title:** A Walk in the Snow  
**Artist/Author:** S J Smith  
**Rating: **Teen(ish – language)  
**Warnings:** Spoilers for Chapter 64 of the manga and episode 33 of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood  
**Word Count:** 1,297  
**Summary/Teaser:** "You're gonna look like a walking snowman, Al."

**A/N:** This probably should've been in Al's POV. He rarely talks to me, though. *pouts* Ed, on the other hand, never shuts up. I took a few liberties with the storyline, as well. Thanks to lj user=cornerofmadness for the edits.

**A/N2:** This wound up being more angsty than I wanted it to be. Hope the original OP doesn't mind.

**Disclaimer:** Arakawa owns all. I just play in the sandbox.  
**Written for the live journal comm "Fmagiftexchange" with ****my prompt being: **A side story of Ed and Al discovering snow for the first time in the Manga or Brotherhood timeline. Since I recall in Brotherhood as they're headed North- Ed and Al comment how the snow rarely stuck to the ground back at home. So I'd love to see Armor!Al's delight about the fluffy white stuff that's freezing his poor brother to death.

* * *

The falling snow reminded Edward of the sheep shearing contest. Snowflakes flew around like the tufts of loose wool, even clinging to his clothes and hair the same way, but instead of itching, when they landed on him, they melted. Well, except when the snow landed on his right arm.

"Isn't it pretty, Brother?" Alphonse's cheerful voice brought Edward out of his thoughts. His helmet tilted back as he studied the sky, the bulk of Alphonse's armor blocked a little of the wind blowing down off the mountains.

Edward took refuge for a few seconds in the lee side of his brother's body. Damn, but it was cold up here. His ports twinged and he wondered at that. He'd never felt anything like this before. Glancing up at Alphonse, Edward noted snow was starting to cake on his brother's shoulders and the crest of his helmet. "You're gonna look like a walking snowman, Al."

"Huh?" As if he realized, Alphonse laughed. "Yeah, I guess it won't melt on me, huh?"

Alphonse's chuckle cut through Edward, making the corners of his mouth turn down. Gritting his teeth, he reminded himself that soon, they'd be at the northern border of Amestris, in the command of Major General Armstrong. Major Armstrong had given them a safe passage letter to ask for her help finding that bean girl with the weird cat. Her Xingese alkhestry could be the key to getting their bodies back and Edward wasn't going to let Alphonse spend any more time in that suit of armor than he absolutely had to.

The idea that the blood seal might get damaged, or that Al's body – Edward shook his head savagely, trying to send that thought out of his head. Alphonse's body was skinny but still alive. There was a way to get him fattened up – hell, Edward was sure Winry would make pies until Alphonse was as big as a cow, once his soul and body were reconnected.

"Brother, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Edward shook his hair out of his eyes. His bangs rattled – were they frozen?

Somehow managing to convey a concerned frown in his voice, Alphonse said, "You're shivering."

Edward lied. "I'm okay." Soon, they'd get to the fort, right? And he could get warm. Damn, but his ports were aching now. Who knew snow was so hard to walk through? Gah, it was worse than that sticky, spring mud down at the river in Rezembool. The kids would dare each other to walk through it and someone would always get stuck and have to be pulled out. Pitt, Edward remembered, had really gotten stuck and swore the mud was pulling him under. It had taken a lot to pull him out and he'd lost a shoe trying to get free.

"Brother?" Alphonse sounded really far away. "Ed?"

"Huh?" He shoved at his bangs – they were sticking to his face – realizing he had to turn around to see his brother.

"What are you doing over there? The road's here." Alphonse pointed at the snow in front of him.

Edward sighed, his exhalation pluming around him. He didn't want to trudge back to the road but he couldn't figure out how he'd gotten into the deep snow in the first place. What was it about these mountains? Shivering, Edward made his way back to his brother and the road, feeling the difference in the depth of the snow as he approached Alphonse. When he was close enough, Alphonse leaned down, the red and white glare in those slit eyeholes seeming worried.

"Are you all right, Ed?"

"I'm fine." Relief swarmed over Edward that his teeth hadn't chattered, answering Alphonse. He jerked at his coat, wrapping it even more tightly around himself. "Just want to know how Master Izumi survived up here. I haven't even seen a bird."

"It's snowing," Alphonse pointed out as a small flurry of flakes swirled around his horsehair crest.

"Yeah, but." Scowling, Edward decided to drop it. Animals probably wouldn't be out when it was snowing, right? But what did he know? He'd never seen snow like this before.

Raising his gauntlets, Alphonse caught flakes on his leather palms. "Remember when we used to catch snowflakes on our tongues, Brother?" He sounded so wistful. "Wouldn't it have been fun to play in this kind of snow when we were kids?"

Edward opened his mouth and shut it again. Trembling, he tightened his elbows against his sides. "We'd better get moving if we want to make the fortress before nightfall."

Alphonse turned his way and Edward hoped he didn't show how uncomfortable he felt. It felt like there was a long pause before Alphonse said, "You're right, Brother. We should hurry." Long legs strode through the snow as if it wasn't there, churning out a path for Edward to follow, if he wasn't too stubborn to walk beside his brother instead. "Do you remember Master saying she had to spend a month here, in the dead of winter, without alchemy?" He hesitated, helmet creaking as it turned to survey the forest around them. "With bears."

"She killed a bear." Edward shifted his right arm so it pressed up close to his body. Damn, but it was cold.

"Bears in Briggs are huge, though!" Alphonse spread his arms in indication.

Edward glared up at his brother. "And Master killed one with just a knife!" His eyes widened at the shape suddenly looming up out of the falling snow. _Bear_, he thought in disbelief, then, realizing, shouted, "Bear!"

Not a bear, just the most massive man Edward had seen outside of Major Armstrong and Mr. Curtis. Alphonse yelled as he went down, victim to a capture net. The big man's laughter shocked Edward into moving. Clapping his hands together, he transmuted the grill covering his automail forearm into a blade. Alphonse lay pinned to the snowy ground, like an animal in a trap – no help there. Growling, Edward faced the man, hoping he could cut this fight short. His arm didn't move right; his ports ached in a way Edward had never felt before. Forget that guy with the horse cart saying he'd die up here. If he screwed up his automail, Winry would kill him.

Catching sight of the blue of the man's uniform, Edward tried to reason with him. "We're not Drachmian spies!" He dodged a blow, only to get his arm caught in the man's jawed automail. "We're Amestrians!"

"Spies are spies," he said coolly, pulling a ripcord, and the jaws of his automail started cutting into Edward's wrist.

"No! Wait!" Visions of Winry and her wrench flashed through his head. Edward slapped his palms together, touching the man's automail, his jaw dropping when nothing happened. _What the hell?_ "We're friends, damn you!"

Alphonse flung his helmet with a shout and Edward slammed it into the soldier's automail. While the steel did nothing but ring in the cold air, the crest tangled in the works of the chainsaw. "You brat," the big man snarled as Edward dropped from his grip, scrambling away across the snow to join Alphonse.

"We're Amestrians!" he shouted again when he was a safe distance away, readying himself for another attack. Beside him, Alphonse was poised in a half-crouch. The snow seemed to have stopped falling and Edward let out a mental sigh at the weather turning. "We're here to see Major General Armstrong."

"Only spies come up the road without stopping by Northern Headquarters, first," the big man said, shaking his arm, trying to loosen the horsehair from his automail. "But that doesn't matter, does it?" The wind blew away the last of the remaining snowflakes clouding the air. The sounds of rifles being cocked sent both Edward's and Alphonse's hands skyward.

Edward muttered, "Why is someone always pointing guns at us, Al?" as the huge man smiled at them, proud of his win.

* * *


End file.
